ENGLAND will have their two most potent fast bowlers in tandem for the forthcoming one-day series in West Indies after recalling Steve Harmison and Darren Gough.

ENGLAND will have their two most potent fast bowlers in tandem for the forthcoming one-day series in West Indies after recalling Steve Harmison and Darren Gough.

Durham bowler Harmison has added control to his pace and returns to the one-day squad for the first time since last summer and England hope he can maintain the psychological hold over the West Indies he is enjoying in the Test series.

He will team up with Essex pacer Gough, whose international career appeared to have ended after 121 appearances last year when he was overlooked for the one-day party to tour Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

England are, however, backing his troublesome knee to survive seven one-day internationals at five different venues in 18 days.

Their inclusions, announced by chairman of selectors David Graveney at England's Barbados training base yesterday, complete England's 14-man squad which they hope will form the nucleus of the 2007 World Cup side, whose hopes were yesterday given a major lift with the news that they will not face hosts West Indies, holders Australia and 2003 beaten finalists India at the group stages.

Whether Gough is still around to see that tournament, when he will be 36, remains unclear but he at least back in the fold after a frustrating exclusion.

"He was desperate to get back involved and very upset when he was left out," said Graveney. "If your players are not being selected you expect them to be disappointed and people have asked me about the quotes he made to the newspapers, but it doesn't make any difference to me - it just shows how keen he was to get back involved.

"He brings vast experience to the squad. In the games against Pakistan and South Africa last year sometimes Jimmy Anderson went for a few in the beginning and Darren bowled some very tight overs during the first 15 which helped Jimmy Anderson.

"Also, in the middle of the innings if the ball is flying around, at least Michael Vaughan has the opportunity to turn to someone who has great variation and great experience of playing one-day cricket."

Harmison, whose only experience of playing alongside Gough was during a one-day international against Zimbabwe last summer, has welcomed back the side's talisman.

"It's good to see Darren back, there's a lot of affection for him in the dressing room," said Harmison.

"When I was growing up and started playing cricket at 15 or 16, the big name in English cricket was Darren Gough - he's a great man and a great cricketer and, hopefully, he can give this team that little bit more when he gets out here."

Harmison is seeking to erase memories of his uncertain start for England last winter when he bowled seven wides in a row and eight in an over in a warm-up match in Australia.

Since then he has worked hard on his fitness and is now a different proposition to the nervous bowler who ran in at Lilac Hill, as his 16 wickets in two Tests against West Indies would suggest.

"It would be nice to get rid of what happened in Australia and prove to people that I can play one-day cricket but I'm going to take one step at a time and hopefully things will go as well as the Test matches," he said.

"I was mentally tired in Australia. I had the Test matches and I was away when my wife was having the little one, but I'm not going to make excuses - I didn't bowl particularly well but I believe I'm more ready for it now.

"What happened in Australia I regard as a huge learning curve about one-day cricket.

"I had a good learning curve in the Test matches and starting against the Aussies was probably the best thing for me because I felt I got better and better during the series.

"I know what one-day internationals are like now and hopefully I can kick-start it from here."

Harmison was chosen ahead of candidates like Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones, who has excelled on his return from a knee injury.

"It's great that Simon's back and taking wickets, but he's been out for 14 months and the players will be the first to admit that the rigours of playing one-day internationals, some of which are back-to-back, are very difficult," said Graveney.

"I've been watching from the UK and Steve has been outstanding. His overall fitness is much better and his selection is a reflection of how well he has bowled in the Test matches.

"His strike rate is very good, he's a wicket-taker basically and he is very economical."